The Korea Times

K-content's global popularity to prompt budget expansion, says filmmaker

Director Kang Yun-sung speaks during the Korea Creative Content Agency's annual seminar, Content Insight, held at the Content Human Resource Campus in Dongdaemun District central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KOCCABy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kang Yun-sung, known for leading Disney Plus' recent original series “Big Bet” and the hit action film “The Outlaws” (2017), has noted that the ongoing international popularity of Korean content could expand with bigger investments.The director shared his experience of working with the global streaming platform during this year's Content Insight, an annual seminar organized by the state-run agency Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). “With Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms, Korean content has proven that it can also appeal to global audiences,” the director said during the seminar, held at the Content Human Resource Campus in Dongdaemun District central Seoul, Thursday. “Until now, it only has been consumed locally, thus they were made with the size of a budget appropriate for that targeted audience. But as the co

Apr 2, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

K-content's global popularity to prompt budget expansion, says filmmaker

Shows & Dramas

Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy

From left, posters for the series “Queenmaker," "Bo-ra! Deborah," and “Dr. Cha” / Courtesy of Netflix, ENA and JTBCBy Lee Gyu-lee Female-centric and comedy are the two keywords of the upcoming series lineups at pay TV and streaming platforms in April. Netflix and JTBC will be rolling out the female-oriented series, “Queenmaker” and “Dr. Cha” this month. The streaming platform's new original series, “Queenmaker,” will follow a fixer, Hwang Do-hee (Kim Hee-ae), who is a master of making strategies and handling publicity. Hwang finds herself in the cutthroat world of politics when she puts her skills to transform a civil rights lawyer, Oh Kyung-sook (Moon So-ri), into the next mayor. Having the same enemy, the two join hands to fight against fellow mayoral candidates, including Baek Jae-min (Ryu Soo-young), the son-in-law of a business tycoon.The series, which will release on April 14, is led by Oh Jin-seok, who directed Netflix's romance series, “My First First Love” (2019), and is scripted by Moon Ji-young, who wrote tv

Mar 31, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy

Shows & Dramas

Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik'

From left, the cast members John Park, Kwon Yu-ri, producer Lee Woo-hyung, Paik Jong-won, BamBam and Lee Jang-woo pose during the press conference for the tvN's reality show “The Genius Paik,” held in Mapo District, Wednesday. Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeCelebrity chef and restaurant business owner Paik Jong-won is putting his skill to use to introduce Korean food to people around the world who are unfamiliar with the cuisine. TvN's new reality show “The Genius Paik,” scheduled to premiere on April 2, invites Paik and a group of celebrities to start their own restaurants in other countries where locals have had few chances of encountering Korean food.The chef will start in Morocco with singer BamBam and actor Lee Jang-woo, and then head to Naples, Italy, with Lee, along with singers John Park and Kwon Yu-ri.The show's producer, Lee Woo-hyung, said the team spent a long time developing the program and convincing Paik to get on board.“We've talked about the show since three or four years ago. This is Paik's challenge to become world class,” Lee said

Mar 30, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik'

Trends

Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap

Oh Soap's newly launched dish soap is made out of oyster shells. Courtesy of Oh SoapUpcycling startup makes use of oyster shell wasteBy Lee Gyu-leeOysters are considered an affordable and wholesome ingredient in Korea, unlike some western countries. Here, they are found in different dishes such as soups, kimchi, and rice and are often eaten deep-fried or raw. Korea has become the second-largest oyster exporter in the world, after China, producing over 300,000 tons of oysters in 2020 alone, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).From left, co-founders of upcycling brand Oh Soap, CEO Lee Yu-jeong, CTO Lee Ji-youn and CMO Kim Ye-jin / Courtesy of Oh SoapBut what happens to all the shells after oysters have been consumed? Often they are simply disregarded. But for the co-founders of upcycling brand Oh Soap, oyster shells are a crucial source for its soap-based product. Three young entrepreneurs ― CEO Lee Yu-jeong, CMO Kim Ye-jin and CTO Lee Ji-youn ― developed a solution to make use of the hundreds of thousands of tons of oyster shells, which are di

Mar 29, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'

Actor Choi Min-sik and Lee Dong-hwi co-star in the Disney+ Korean original series “Big Bet.” Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Lee Gyu-leeThe Disney+ Korean original series, “Big Bet,” explores the dark, macho world of casinos through the eyes of its lead character, Cha Mu-sik, a Korean casino mogul in the Philippines. Actor Choi Min-sik, who played the role of Cha, shared that he wanted to emphasize the Korean sentiment in this crime noir series.Actor Choi Min-sik / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea“The story moves forward centering on Cha's narrative; his relationship with his mother, and with his wife … I wanted to capture the conflicts that are specific to Korean people,” Choi told The Korea Times during an interview, held at a cafe in Jongno District, last Friday. “I had in mind not to follow some Western gangster movie or noir-genre works. Even with the last scene, I wanted it to have Korean-style reality.”The crime series, which ended its second season last Wednesday, follows the epic saga of Cha, a self-made bus

Mar 28, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'

Shows & Dramas

Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol'

Kim Min-gyu played the role of Lembrary in tvN's fantasy comedy series "The Heavenly Idol." Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Kim Min-gyu and Go Bo-gyeol, who led tvN's recent series, “The Heavenly Idol,” thanked the fans as they bid farewell to the series. The comedy fantasy series, based on the web novel of the same name, follows a priest named Lembrary (Kim) from a fictional world, waking up in the modern world as a failed K-pop singer Woo Yeon-woo. As a member of a struggling, not-so-popular boy group, Lembrary is forced to navigate the cutthroat world of K-pop with the help of the group's manager, Kim Dal (Go), while also trying to find a way back to his original world.The 12-part series wrapped Thursday with a happy ending, where Lembrary came back to the modern world to be with Kim Dal, hinting the further romance between the two. Kim shared photos from the episodes as well as from his time on the set with fellow actors, saying “thank you,” and “great job,” following the series' last episode.   View this post on InstagramA p

Mar 24, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol'

Shows & Dramas

Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3

A scene from SBS series “Dr. Romantic 3” / Courtesy of SBSBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Han Suk-kyu expressed excitement about the return of the SBS hit series “Dr. Romantic” with the third season after three years. The medical series revolves around a group of medical staff working at a small hospital, called Dol Dam Hospital, in a remote countryside area. Han plays a genius doctor, Kim Sa-bu (Han Suk-kyu), who used to be a top surgeon at a renowned hospital but gives up his position to find a secluded, peaceful life at the hospital. The series made a huge success with its first two seasons, the first in 2016 and the second in 2020, which both scored over 27 percent viewership ratings. “I'm happy to work on the series again with these great staff and actors. As we had such great teamwork, I've missed my Dol Dam families and it was a pleasure to meet up again in three years,” the actor said through the broadcaster, Thursday. “Season 3 was possible thanks to the huge love and support that the viewers have given us. We reminded ourselves of what viewers

Mar 24, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3

Entertainment

Yoo Yeon-seok threatens to sue people spreading accusations about him

Actor Yoo Yeon-seok / Courtesy of Kidari StudioBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Yoo Yeon-seok's agency, King Kong by Starship, said it will take strong legal action against people spreading accusations online that the actor humiliated a security guard at his apartment complex. “We've confirmed with the actor that the following rumor is completely untrue. We plan to file a criminal charge of defamation for the false spread of information by the person responsible for the online post,” it said in a press release, Wednesday. “We've already hired a legal counsel and are taking procedures for strong legal action. We ask you to stop the spreading of this baseless rumor.”The rumor surfaced Tuesday when an online user claimed that the person's father was insulted by Yoo while working as a security guard at the apartment complex about six or seven years ago. The user wrote that the father saw the actor and his friends getting ready to ride a bicycle one day and tried to talk to them. When he asked Yoo if one of the bicycles was his, Yoo got upset and said, “Would I ride that

Mar 23, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Yoo Yeon-seok threatens to sue people spreading accusations about him

Shows & Dramas

Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong to play married couple in Tving's new series

Actors Lee Som, left, and Ahn Jae-hong will star in Tving's new original series. Courtesy of Management mmmBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Lee Som and Ahn Jae-hong will co-lead Tving's new original series, tentatively titled “LTNS”, which is short for “Long Time No Sex.” The local streaming platform announced that the two will be playing a married couple in the upcoming comedy series, Wednesday.The series will revolve around a couple, hotelier Woo-jin (Lee), and cab driver Samuel (Ahn), who have been married for five years. After years of marriage and making ends meet, the relationship has lost its flame. One day, Woo-jin finds out about an affair involving her friend's partner at the hotel where she works. She takes an offer to spy on the affair to make money with the help of her husband. As the two work together, their relationship is reconciled and renewed. “(The series) will portray a realistic story about a sexless marriage and will feature episodes of different couples' affairs,” the platform said in its release. The series is created by filmmaker Lim D

Mar 23, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong to play married couple in Tving's new series

Shows & Dramas

Revenge rises as key theme in K-dramas

A scene from the Netflix's Korean original series “The Glory” / Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeIt's no secret that Korean drama series are increasingly focused on revenge, offering a sense of catharsis through eye-for-an-eye storylines. This compelling theme of justice being served in dramas such as Netflix's newest Korean original series “The Glory” and SBS crime series “Taxi Driver 2” has resonated with many viewers, taking these shows to the top of the rankings charts.“The Glory,” created by star writer Kim Eun-sook, follows a school bullying victim, Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), whose life has been torn apart by the abuse she suffered at the hands of a group of spiteful high school students.About 20 years later, Moon intervenes in the lives of her abusers and carries out carefully crafted vengeance to bring suffering to her tormentors.The series, which released its first part in December and its second part this month, has been enjoying global success. It topped the platform's official weekly streaming chart for non-English series for

Mar 22, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

K-content's global popularity to prompt budget expansion, says filmmaker

Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy

Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik'

Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap

INTERVIEW Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'

Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol'

Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3

Yoo Yeon-seok threatens to sue people spreading accusations about him

Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong to play married couple in Tving's new series

Revenge rises as key theme in K-dramas

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